At that moment, in Water 7, Fram, also known as Franky, had hidden himself away in a small house.
The panic on his face had lessened considerably compared to just a while ago.
Since they hadn't caught him on the spot, now that he was back in Water 7, it wouldn't be so easy for them to catch him again.
As for those Franky Battle Ships, he wasn't worried they might be discovered; almost no one went to the Island of Abandoned Ships, which was why he did his research there.
Only a few people knew he had built those battleships, and those few were all people very close to him, so they definitely wouldn't tell anyone.
And the situation was just as Franky had imagined; Spandam had searched all over Water 7, but no one knew anything about those Franky Series battleships on the Island of Abandoned Ships, and most people hadn't even been there.
"How infuriating!!"
Spandam's gaze was sinister, his expression ugly, and he ultimately gave up on his plan to continue searching for the moment.
He was in Water 7 to take care of official business, after all!
One of the three Ancient Weapons, Pluton, a legendary existence capable of destroying an entire island with a single cannon shot, and its blueprints were reportedly in the hands of a certain shipwright on this very island.
That's right, that man was the world's greatest shipwright—Tom!!
Spandam easily found out where Tom lived by simply asking around the island, after all, Tom's reputation in Water 7 was still too great.
If he hadn't designed the Sea Train, connecting it to those wealthy lands, Water 7 would probably have become something unimaginable by now.
Before long, Spandam arrived at his destination, and looking at the house before him with its doors tightly shut, Spandam showed no courtesy whatsoever and simply pushed the door open and walked straight in.
The moment he entered, a gigantic shadow enveloped him.
Looking up instinctively, what met his eyes was a yellow-skinned, horned cowfish Fish-Man.
He was stout and muscular, had dark circles and spots under his eyes, wore a light blue open-front shirt, and had tattoos on his shoulders; it was unmistakably Tom!
"Who are you?!"
Tom frowned, setting down the ship blueprint he was drawing, and spoke with a slightly unfriendly tone.
For some reason, just looking at Spandam's face gave him the feeling this guy wasn't a good person.
Gulp!!
Spandam instinctively swallowed his saliva; Tom's enormous physique indeed exerted immense pressure on him, but he quickly calmed down and resumed his arrogant, haughty demeanor.
"You're Tom, right? I'm Spandam, chief of the World Government's CP5, here on the orders of the Five Elders, the rulers of the World Government, to investigate a matter. I need your cooperation!"
Upon hearing this, Tom's pupils contracted slightly. After a moment, he spoke to ask:
"What do you need me to cooperate with?"
Spandam didn't waste any words either and directly asked:
"Are the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon Pluton here with you?"
Tom's heart jolted violently, but his expression remained calm, showing no sign of anything unusual.
"Blueprints for the Ancient Weapon Pluton? I don't know anything about that! I don't have that thing here!"
"Are you sure? I advise you to tell the truth. If you have the blueprints, hand them over obediently, otherwise..."
Before Spandam could finish his threat, Tom directly cut him off.
"I said I don't have them, so I don't! No matter how much you say, I still don't have them!"
"If there's nothing else, please leave. Don't interfere with my work!"
"You!! I'm telling you, if you keep this up..."
Spandam's heart churned with rage, but Tom stepped forward and directly interrupted him. Tom simply grabbed him by the body and then threw him straight out. He landed heavily on the ground, and at the same time, Tom slammed the door shut.
"Ouch!!"
Spandam hit the ground hard and couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.
He fiercely turned his gaze towards the house before him, his eyes blazing with anger, and spoke through gritted teeth:
"You damn bastard!!"
As he spoke, Spandam's gaze flickered continuously, radiating a snake-like malevolence.
Judging from the current situation, Tom was clearly unwilling to cooperate with him.
Moreover, he wasn't even sure if Tom actually had the Pluton blueprints; after all, it was just uncertain information.
But given Tom's behavior today, whether he had the Pluton blueprints or not, he was going to make him pay for daring to treat him like this.
However, Tom had the merit of designing the Sea Train, so he couldn't just arrest him outright; otherwise, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on either.
He needed to find a reason!!
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his eyes lit up.
Got it!!
Spandam slowly picked himself up from the ground and glared fiercely ahead.
'I'd like to see how long you can stay arrogant! You dare throw me out? I'll make you pay for this, just wait!!'
After venting his threats internally, Spandam left with his group of CP5 agents; he needed to plan this out carefully!
Meanwhile, Tom watched the gradually departing Spandam and the others through his window, his expression also gradually growing serious.
Why had they come to him to investigate the Pluton blueprints?
If he didn't actually possess the Pluton blueprints, it would be one thing, but the problem was, he really did have them!
So, from where had the information leaked?
However, judging by their situation, it was likely just suspicion, not concrete information; otherwise, he wouldn't be standing here safe and sound right now.
Given the value of the Pluton blueprints, if they were certain he had them, there was no need to think about it; those guys would definitely have resorted to force immediately.
No way!!
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he needed to prepare early as well...
—
Night fell.
Inside Tom's house.
Three people and one frog were gathered there.
The three were Tom and his two apprentices, Iceburg and Franky.
The frog was a huge yellow frog, almost as big as Tom himself.
Franky looked at Tom, who had his back turned to them, and asked curiously:
"Tom-san, was there something you called us for late at night?"
Tom's gaze was slightly somber. After a moment, he slowly turned his head, looked at the two of them, and spoke in a low tone:
"I have something important to entrust to you!"
Having said that, Tom took a blueprint from his pocket and handed it to Iceburg.
Iceburg took it curiously, his eyes falling on the blueprint paper, and Franky beside him also leaned in to look.
The next second, both of their pupils dilated sharply, and beads of sweat oozed from their foreheads.
"Th-this... how could something like this exist?!"
Iceburg spoke, his face full of shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Franky on the other side reacted even more dramatically than Iceburg, asking subconsciously:
"Is this something that really exists? Can humans really build something like this?"
Looking at their reactions, Tom was not surprised at all; his own reaction when he first saw this thing was quite similar to theirs.
Tom said in a solemn voice:
"This is the most heinous monster in the history of shipbuilding. If it were allowed to reappear in the world... the world would be destroyed!!"
"And its name..."
Tom paused here, his gaze fixed on the two of them, and spoke word by word:
"One of the Three Ancient Weapons—Pluton!!!"
...
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